Aquatic Invasive Species
Cloverland Lakes Aquatic Species Survey (CLASS)

CLASS, the Cloverland Lakes Aquatic Species Survey, includes 21 of the 25 inhabited lakes in Cloverland. The CLASS lakes are Aspen, Boot, Bullfrog, Bragonier, Brazell, Camp Twelve, Chickaree, Finley, Lotus, Mary, McDonald, Muskellunge, Nelson, Perch, Pickerel, Rangeline, Rice, Seneca, Snipe, Sunset, and Tepee.

The project is being funded by a WDNR AIS Control Grant 0 The grant provides almost $140,000 to cover 75% of the project cost, the other 25% to be supplied by "in-kind" volunteer hours put in by Cloverland residents. The total project cost is almost $200,000. The grant was awarded this spring and is the largest grant award made to any project in Vilas County.

The project will include a stakeholders survey and lake aquatic plant surveys to be done throughout the summer on all 21 participating lakes. CLASS also includes a series of workshops and training sessions to help give Cloverland residents the tools to care for their lakes.

CLASS was developed by the Cloverland Town Lakes Committee. The idea was developed last spring and publicized to the over 600 lake property owners in Cloverland over the summer.

One aspect of the CLASS project is a partnership with Camp Interlaken. Over 50 eighth and ninth grade campers at Camp Interlaken received an introduction to their roles in CLASS on Sunday, June 28. This included a beginning session in being a Clean Boats Clean Waters volunteer.

In addition to monitoring the town's four public landings with an experienced adult CBCW monitor, campers will be pressing samples of aquatic plants found in our town, and helping to create four public displays of those samples. One will be at Camp Interlaken itself, another will be at the Cloverland Town Hall, a third will be at the Eagle River Children's Museum, and the fourth will be at the Eagle River Public Library.

Camp Interlaken is a 110 acre camp located on Finley and Bragonier lakes. Mike Vinovich, a Finley Lake resident, has been working since this past winter with Toni Davison, the camp's director, to develop this partnership between the camp and CLASS.